This year marks the 125-year anniversary of a discovery, which enabled the production, and the use of aluminium on an industrial scale. The discovery has not only improved our lives, but plays an eminent role for Europe’s sustainable development. Safer and more fuel-efficient transportation, energy efficient buildings, infinitely recyclable packaging – all have been possible thanks to this discovery.
The smelting process to produce aluminium was discovered almost simultaneously but independently in 1886 by Charles Martin Hall in the United States and Louis Toussaint Héroult in France. Both men dissolved aluminium oxide in molten cryolite and then extracted the aluminium by electrolysis.
“No material other than aluminium can combine the advantages of being light and strong, totally recyclable, resistant to corrosion, completely impermeable, and an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. In the 125 years since this discovery, the variety of applications for aluminium has grown apace and will continue to contribute to sustainable development and energy efficiency gains in Europe,” declares Patrick de Schrynmakers, Secretary General of the European Aluminium Association (EAA).